This patriotic Red, White, and Blue Cake is perfect for July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, or any time! It’s a homemade layer cake with each layer dyed a different color. I love to make this for parties during the summer. Between the flavor, texture, and presentation, it’s always a showstopper.
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The cake has a subtle vanilla flavor with a lovely moist and spongy texture that you can’t get from a boxed mix. I dye each layer either red, white, or blue, and the color remains vibrant even after baking. Keep it simple with a store-bought vanilla frosting or make your own!
If you like easy layer cake recipes, you will love this Easter Cake and Naked Flower Cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has a lovely presentation: The layers of bright colors make for a beautiful slice when cut. This is truly an impressive dessert that is fitting to share with friends and family.
- It works for a variety of holidays: The colors are great for any patriotic holiday or even as a red, white, and blue birthday cake. Feel free to switch out the colors (like red and green for Christmas) to celebrate another occasion.
- It’s inexpensive: The ingredients are budget-friendly and many are pantry staples that you may already have on hand.
Ingredients
These are all of the components needed to make a red, white, and blue layer cake with vanilla frosting. The list consists of common baking staples as well as food coloring to create a patriotic look.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this simple cake recipe. Make it gluten-free by substituting your favorite gluten-free blend.
- Baking powder: This ensures the cake rises and becomes perfectly soft and fluffy as it bakes.
- Butter and oil: I like a combination of unsalted butter and vegetable oil in this cake recipe. Let the butter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes—you don’t want it to be cold! You can use all butter or oil if you prefer.
- Sugar: Simple white granulated sugar is perfect for this cake recipe. It adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract is one of my favorite ingredients. It provides an authentic vanilla flavor while enhancing the other ingredients in the cake. Imitation vanilla will work in a pinch, but I always go for the real stuff when possible.
- Eggs: These provide flavor, stability, and structure to the cake. Allow them to sit at room temperature before incorporating them for a smoother batter.
- Buttermilk: The acidity in the buttermilk makes the cake extra tender. It’s a necessary ingredient to make this cake extra delicious and amazing!
- Red and blue food coloring: These are needed to color 2 layers of the cake. I only add a couple of drops to get a bright result after baking.
- Vanilla frosting: I keep it convenient and use a store-bought vanilla frosting. Feel free to use a homemade frosting instead if you’d like.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Strawberry, lemon, and blueberry: Add extracts or purees to give the cake fruity flavors! You can use strawberry extract for red, lemon zest for white, and you can even use blueberry extract for the blue layer.
- Red velvet and vanilla bean: Make the red layer red velvet flavor, and add real vanilla bean to the white layer to reinforce the vanilla flavor.
- Birthday cake: Add cake batter extract to the batter before you divide it to elevate the birthday vibes.
How to Make a Red, White, and Blue Cake
Below I have included all the steps needed to execute a perfect red, white, and blue cake from baking to assembly! Ensure that you preheat your oven to 350°F and grease all 3 of the 8-inch cake pans before you get started.
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are well combined and set aside.
Step 2: Beat butter, oil, and sugar. Combine the butter, oil, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer). Beat them at high speed with a whisk attachment until perfectly smooth. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Add egg and vanilla. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. The eggs should be incorporated one at a time on high until they are all thoroughly mixed.
Step 4: Pour in dry ingredients and buttermilk. Alternate between adding ⅓ of the flour mixture and ½ cup of buttermilk, beating the mixture on high in between each ingredient added. Once the batter is smooth, you can move on!
Step 5: Color the batter. Add 2 cups of cake batter to one of the cake pans and set it aside. Next, divide the remaining cake batter in between two bowls. Color one blue and the other red. Stir until there are no streaks of color or white.
Step 6: Transfer to cake pans and bake. Pour the blue cake batter into one pan and the red cake batter into the last one. Place all 3 of the pans into the oven and bake them for 22-24 minutes. Halfway through baking, move the pans around to ensure they bake evenly.
Step 7: Cool and level. Take them out of the oven and let them cool for 5-7 minutes. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool them completely. Once they’re cool, use a knife to level the top of each layer to ensure they are nice and even.
Step 8: Frost and arrange the layers. Place the blue layer onto a cake plate and cover it with vanilla frosting. Next, add the white layer and repeat the process.
Step 9: Cover outside. Top the cake with the red layer and ensure the top and sides of the cake are covered in a smooth layer of vanilla frosting.
Step 10: Decorate and serve. Reserve extra frosting or use Cool Whip and pipe dollops onto the outside rim of the top of the cake for a fun design. Add colored sprinkles for flair if you wish. Now it’s ready to slice and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter: Only mix the batter until all of the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can cause the cake to not rise properly and have a dense texture.
- Allow the layers to cool completely: Do not add frosting until the cake layers have completely cooled. Otherwise, it will melt and create a mess.
- Decorate it: Make the presentation extra fun with fresh berries, festive sprinkles, candies, or even whipped cream.
If you love recipes like this red, white, and blue layered dessert, you may also enjoy this Jello Pretzel Dessert.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Cover the cake and place it in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days. You can freeze a whole cake or individual slices for up to 3 months.
- Make Ahead: Prepare this layer cake up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator. I highly recommend decorating it right before serving to prevent the color sprinkles from bleeding color onto the frosting.
Serving Suggestions
- Enjoy some more red, white, and blue-themed treats with this cake such as July 4 fruit kabobs and red, white, and blue trail mix.
- Some great sides to enjoy at your July 4th cookout are smoked potato salad and kielbasa baked beans.
- Learn how to smoke St Louis-style ribs to enjoy before you have a slice of this homemade cake.
Recipe FAQs
If you bake the cake layers too long, they will become crumbly and dry. Only bake them until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Then, just let them rest and cool.
Sure! I recommend taking 5-10 minutes off the baking time to ensure they aren’t overbaked. Check the layers with a toothpick and add time as needed.
Yes! I love and prefer the texture and flavor of this homemade cake recipe, but you can use a boxed white cake mix and color the layers to make it a patriotic cake.
More Delicious 4th of July Cake Recipes
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section, I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Red, White, and Blue Cake
Equipment
- 3 8-inch cake pans
- stand mixer with whisk attachment or electric beaters
- 2 small mixing bowls
- smoothing knife for fristing
- piping bag optional
- perforated knife or cake leveller
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- ½-1 teaspoon red food coloring
- ½-1 teaspoon blue food coloring
- 3 cups vanilla frosting equivalent to 24 ounces or 680 grams
- fun sprinkles or candy for decor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Liberally spray three 8-inch round pans with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside for just a minute.
- In the bowl to your stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat the butter, oil and granulated sugar on high until smooth. This will take about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and one egg and beat until the egg is mixed in thoroughly. Add the additional eggs, one at a time, beating on high until combined before adding the next one in.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the bowl. Beat on high until mixed in.
- Add ½ of the buttermilk to the bowl and beat on high until combined. Continue alternating between the flour mixture and buttermilk until all the ingredients are mixed in and you have a smooth batter.
- You should have 6 cups of cake batter. Transfer 2 cups of the batter to one of your prepared pans. Set aside for a moment. Divide the remaining 4 cups of batter between two bowls. Color one bowl of batter with blue food coloring and the other with red food coloring.
- Transfer the blue colored batter to the second prepared pan and transfer the red batter to the third pan.
- Bake all three in a preheated oven for 22-24 minutes. Move the pans around the oven at about the halfway mark. The edges of the cakes will be browned and the color in the batter will have darkened. Cool in the pan for 5-7 minutes before flipping out to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the cakes have cooled, we’ll begin assembly. If you have to, use a knife to level each cake so that they are even.
- Use a bit of frosting to attach the blue layer onto your serving platter. This will keep the cake from moving around your dish while you are decorating. Cover the top with an even layer of frosting about a half an inch thick. Keep the frosting as even as possible.
- Layer the white cake over the blue one and press lightly to adhere it to the frosting. op the white cake with a layer of frosting.
- Place the red cake over the white one and press lightly.
- Frost the entire outside of the cake with the remaining white icing.
- Reserve a bit of frosting so you can have fun with some decoration and sprinkles.
- Serve immediately when ready.
Notes
- Store any leftover red, white, and blue cake tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Do not overbake the cake layers or they will become dry and crumbly. They are ready when the edges just start to brown and the middle is fully set.
- Allow the cake layers to cool completely before you handle or frost them. It’s tempting not to wait but important so it doesn’t mess with the integrity of the cake. Warm cake will melt the frosting!
Nutrition
This post was originally published in May 2021. It's been updated with new content and images.
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